The Research

At a glance

Alcohol is a contributing factor in 71.5% of Assault (Non DV) within Byron Shire

The incidence of assault is highest between 12am and 6am on Saturday and Sunday mornings

89% of the Shire’s alcohol related assaults occur in the Byron CBD

For alcohol related assaults, Byron Shire’s rate per 100,000 population is 2.7 times more than the state average

In the year to March 2013 there were 234 alcohol related assaults in Byron while many go unreported

In the year to March 2013 Byron ranked 6th in NSW for alcohol related assaults per 100,000 of population

Did you know that there were 327 Non-Domestics Assaults in Byron in the year to March 2013. Of these 234 were Alcohol related – 71.5%.

On average there are 4.5 Alcohol Related Non-Domestic Assaults in Byron every week. The majority of these occur between 12am and 3am on Friday and Saturday night.

Alcohol related assault police: The Byron LGA recorded a rate of 61.8 incidents per 100,000 persons, compared to a state-wide rate of 22.7 (272% higher)

Alcohol related offensive behaviour: The Byron LGA recorded a rate of 830.1 incidents per 100,000 persons, compared to a state-wide rate of 148.1 (560% higher)

A one-hour extension of trading hours in the Perth night-time economy was related to a mean 70 percent rise in assaults in and around licensed venues

According to all of the independent reviews available nationally and internationally, restricting trading hours is the most effective and cost-effective measure available to policymakers to reduce alcohol-related harm associated with licensed venues.

(Babor et al. 2010).

A consistent and robust relationship between alcohol-related violence and outlet opening hours has received strong empirical support.

A one-hour extension of trading hours in the Perth night-time economy was related to a mean 70 percent rise in assaults in and around licensed venues.

(Chikritzhs & Stockwell 2002)

The findings of this study confirm the basic findings that reducing trading hours results in a decrease in alcohol-related harm, although these findings are somewhat confounded by the introduction of a venue lockout at the same time.

(NDLERF Dante 2012)

Currently, the lockout intervention appears to have been used mainly within Australia) although it has been implemented elsewhere (Bleetman et al. 1997). Research examining this type of intervention is very limited, and has generated ambiguous results at best. Trials have been implemented without evaluation being considered and data is normally extremely limited.

(NDLERF Dante 2012)

This report’s findings highlight a major issue around the difficulties and benefits associated with voluntary systems of licensing reforms such as those seen in Geelong. The observational data showed that RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) practice was significantly more likely in Newcastle where practices were mandated across the board. In contrast, many venues observed in Geelong were not even signatories to the liquor accord and operated outside any volunteer harm-reduction schemes. Further, some of the venues that purported to be part of such schemes operated on ad hoc bases, according to their own definition of need, and were often influenced by financial considerations. To summarise, voluntary systems such as that seen in Geelong allow poor practice to remain while penalising good operators. However, mandatory systems allow operators a predictable operating environment, particularly if upcoming changes are well sign-posted and operators are given enough time to adapt business models.

The impact of later trading hours for hotels (public houses) on breath alcohol levels of apprehended impaired drivers. Tanya Chikritzhs & Tim Stockwell National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia, Australia and Centre for Addiction Research of British Columbia, University of Victoria, Canada,V8Y 2E4Read the full report here.

Research evidence for reducing alcohol related harm. A/Prof John Wiggers Director, Population Health, and School of Medicine and Population Health, University of NewcastleRead the full report here.

Five Years of Research in Nightclubs: Implications for Policy and Practice. Presented at the 2013 Newcastle Community Drug and Alcohol Team symposium. A/Prof Peter MillerRead the full report here.

Effects of restricting pub closing times on night-time assaults in an Australian city. Kypros Kypri, Craig Jones, Patrick McElduff & Daniel Barker. School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia and NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, NSW, AustraliaRead the full reporthere.

Alcohol-related collateral damage and the broader issue of alcohol’s social costs. Commentary on Laslett etal. (2011): THOMAS F. BABOR Department of Community Medicine,University of Connecticut School of Medicine.Read the full report here.

Regulating the Promotion and Sale of Alcohol Missing in Action : Prof Sandra C Jones : Director, Centre for Health Initiatives, University of Wollongong.Read the full report here.

Five Years of Research in Nightclubs : Implications for Policy and Practice : A/Prof Peter Miller Deakin University Australia.Read the full report here.

FARE’s submission to the NSW Legislative Council Standing Committee on Social Issues Inquiry into strategies to reduce alcohol abuse among young people in NSW. Foundation for Alcohol Research & EducationRead the full report here.

The impact of small changes in bar closing hours on violence. The Norwegian experience from 18 cities. Ingeborg Rossow1 & Thor Norström1,2Read the full report here.

Dealing with alcohol-related harm and the night-time economy : DANTE. Funded by the National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund An Initiative of the National Drug StrategyRead the full report here.

The association between alcohol outlet density and assaults on and around licensed premises. Crime and Justice Bulletin. NSW Bureau of Crime and Statistics. Melissa Burgess and Steve MoffattRead the full report here.